In complex, real-world settings, progress often depends not just on better information, but on deeper understanding—shared across groups, disciplines, and knowledge systems. This strand of social learning explores how people work together to create, connect, and use knowledge in ways that support collaborative learning, decision-making, and adaptation.
In systems-facing and participatory work, knowledge is not a static asset to be transferred. It is shaped through relationships, dialogue, and practice. Whether in sustainability transitions, policy design, natural resource management, or organisational change, co-producing knowledge involves surfacing assumptions, making mental models visible, and working across boundaries to generate insights that are relevant and usable.
As the name suggests, co-producing knowledge places emphasis on the collaborative and relational aspects of learning—recognising that knowledge is always situated, and often contested. It asks us to consider: Whose knowledge counts? Who is involved in shaping meaning? And how do we design processes that support trust, curiosity, and reflection? These are not just technical questions, but ethical and political ones. Working in this way requires attention to context, power dynamics, and the quality of relationships.
This section introduces key approaches and practices that support shared understanding and knowledge co-creation:
- Conceptual modelling – Tools to map and clarify shared mental models, helping groups see how they understand systems and issues.
- Participatory model building – Collaborative approaches to systems mapping and simulation that support reflection, inquiry, and strategy.
- Co-production of knowledge – Exploring the processes and politics of generating usable knowledge through engagement between researchers, practitioners, communities, and policy actors. This includes both the promise and the challenges of co-production, including issues of power, ownership, and inclusivity.
- Engaging with Indigenous lenses – Recognising and valuing Indigenous knowledge systems, and creating space for multiple ways of knowing. This includes attention to Indigenous leadership in research and decision-making.
- Organisational learning – How institutions can build cultures and systems that support reflection, adaptation, and learning from within.
- Knowledge management – Distinguishing between data, information, and knowledge, and exploring how knowledge management and mobilisation practices support collaborative work.
Together, these pages support practitioners, researchers, and decision-makers seeking to strengthen the knowledge foundations of their collaborative work. They offer starting points for reflecting on how knowledge is shaped, shared, and put to use in the service of learning and change. Whether you’re involved in co-designing policy, facilitating multi-stakeholder processes, or leading research in complex environments, this strand highlights ways to engage more thoughtfully and effectively with the knowledge dimensions of systems change.
Further reading and resources
These selected resources offer practical insights into the processes and politics of co-producing knowledge in complex, collaborative settings.
The art of co-production of knowledge in environmental sciences and management
This widely cited review by Ida Djenontin and Alison Meadow (2018) outlines key principles and design features of co-production in environmental and agricultural research. It highlights common challenges, useful entry points, and the importance of tailoring processes to stakeholder needs. The paper offers practical guidance for researchers and practitioners designing inclusive knowledge processes in real-world contexts.
The politics of co-production: participation, power, and transformation
Esther Turnhout and colleagues (2019) explore how power is embedded in co-production processes—shaping who participates, whose knowledge counts, and what gets taken forward. The paper argues that co-production is never neutral and that practitioners must attend to politics, legitimacy, and accountability. A useful piece for reflecting on the ethical dimensions of collaborative knowledge work.
Making room and moving over
Latulippe and Klenk (2020) argue for a fundamental rethinking of how Indigenous knowledges are treated in co-production. Rather than seeking to “integrate” these into Western science, the authors call for space to support Indigenous knowledge sovereignty and leadership. A powerful read for those working at the interface of knowledge systems and equity.
Organisational learning and adaptive practice
This Learning for Sustainability resource page explores how organisations can embed learning in their everyday work. It links to tools, frameworks, and case studies that support reflective practice, adaptive leadership, and systems-aware decision-making. Useful for those interested in strengthening internal learning cultures and working more effectively in complexity.
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